Thursday, October 1, 2026
When Alexys Ellington creates desserts for residents at Lynbrook Restorative Therapy and Nursing, her goal is simple: make sure people with dietary restrictions never feel like they have to miss out.
“I didn’t like the idea of having a restriction stop you from flavor,” Ellington said. “My goal was to make it taste as normal as possible so everyone can enjoy it.”
That approach recently earned Ellington top honors at Paragon Management’s Second Annual Diabetic-Friendly Dessert Competition, where the lead baker won the award for best tasting dessert with her sugar-free raspberry triple mousse dessert.
The competition, held at Momentum Rehabilitation in East Islip, brought together bakers from six Long Island nursing homes managed by Paragon. Participants were challenged to create desserts that were both diabetic-friendly and flavorful, with judges evaluating entries on taste, presentation and originality. A panel of judges included residents, community members and chef Michael Landesberg of Jackson Hall.
Ellington’s triple mousse dessert featured layers of dark chocolate mousse, sugar-free cookie butter and vanilla bean mousse topped with fresh raspberries. She said she used natural sweeteners like pure stevia extract and monk fruit to avoid the artificial aftertaste often associated with sugar substitutes.
The dessert was especially meaningful for Ellington, who said she also has dietary restrictions and understands the frustration of not being able to enjoy the same foods as everyone else.
“I personally experienced that when you can’t have what everyone else has, and it doesn’t taste the same,” she said.
Although this was her first time participating in the competition, Ellington said she focused less on presentation and more on creating a recipe residents and families could realistically recreate at home.
“For me, it was about community,” she said. “I wanted it to be approachable and easy for people to make themselves.”
Ellington said her love of baking began in childhood while spending time with her grandfather as her mother worked long shifts as a nurse.
“We started with boxed cake mixes,” she said. “That’s what he chose to spend our time doing.”
She later earned a bachelor’s degree in baking arts and service management from Paul Smith’s College and now oversees the bakery at the Lynbrook rehabilitation facility, where she works closely with residents on diabetic-friendly recipes and cooking classes.
“I didn’t want to make a dessert just to fill a spot in a display case, but to make something they look forward to,” Ellington said. “The patients and I work as a team to make sure it tastes good.”
According to Paragon officials, the winning recipes will now be shared across the company’s facilities for residents and guests to enjoy.
“This competition is a testament to the incredible talent of our culinary teams and their commitment to creating treats that are both diabetic-friendly and genuinely delicious,” said Lisa Penziner, director of special projects at Paragon Management. “These tasty treats will now be available at all of our Paragon facilities.
